Is It Advisable For My Kid To Fund a Roth IRA?

Here’s a tax question, I got from one of my clients:
If my kid works part-time, do you recommend funding a Roth IRA?
Hey, that is great question! And it deserves a great answer. Hello, this is Noel Dalmacio, your ultimate CPA at lowermytaxnow.
If you have a kid who works part-time, encourage your kid to fund a Roth IRA.
You might be thinking, what’s the big deal about a Roth IRA?
We’ll, it’s one of the most powerful retirement vehicle that you can take advantage of.
The contribution is not tax deductible, however, it grows tax-free and when you take out the money at age 60, it’s all tax-free!

What is the income requirement to fund it then?
You only need to have a W-2 or NET business income. Age is irrelevant.
So for 2015 and 2016, your kid can contribute the lesser of: (1) W-2/Net business income or (2) $5,500.

By funding this consistently, your kid can potentially accumulate quite a bit of money by retirement age. However, your kid might not be willing to put in the $5,500 even when they have enough earnings to do so. So just be satisfied if you can convince your child to contribute at least a meaningful amount each year. Remember, if you are so inclined, you can make the Roth IRA contribution for your child.

Here’s what can happen if your 15-year-old kid contributes the following amounts:
(Note that it will be worth different values depending on the amounts contributed & annual return)

Annual Contribution Value when child is 60 years old
For 5 Years 3% 5%

$1K $ 28K $84K
$1.5K $ 40K $127K
$2.5K $ 67K $212K

Wow! You get the idea right? With just small annual contributions for five years, Roth IRAs can be worth eye-popping amounts by the time your kid approaches retirement age. That is the power of starting early!

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Until then, this is Noel Dalmacio, your ultimate CPA at lowermytaxnow.com